Maniolas

Could alleged pork barrel-scam operator Janet Lim Napoles be given immunity if she testifies against lawmakers charged with plunder because of the scam, the same way Ilocos Sur Governor Luis Crisologo “Chavit” Singson was given immunity when he testified against former President Joseph Estrada in the latter’s plunder case? A report on GMA News’ Balitanghali speculated that it seemed unlikely. In Singson’s case, he testified before the Sandiganbayan that he had delivered a P130 million bribe to Estrada. The Ilocos governor managed to avoid prosecution along with Estrada because of former President Ferdinand Marcos’ Presidential Decree 749, which grants “immunity from prosecution to givers of bribes and other gifts and to their accomplices in bribery and other graft cases against public officers.” Atty. Raymund Fortun, Estrada’s lawyer in the plunder case, believes Napoles cannot invoke P.D. 749. “Dito sa kaso ni Janet Napoles, lumalabas na hindi bribery ang nangyari dito. Ang nangyari dito ay komisyon,” said Fortun. He added, “Si Chavit ay witness umpisang-umpisa pa lamang. Dito sa kaso ni Janet Napoles, malinaw na malinaw na siya ay kinasuhan.” Former state prosecutor Atty. Dennis Villaignacio, who prosecuted Estrada in the plunder case, also said that it was unlikely Napoles would be given immunity.   Villaignacio said the best recourse for Napoles was to admit to a lesser crime, and testify against politicians involved in the pork scam. “In terms of sino, kanino ang mas mabigat ang kasalanan, ‘yung public official na nag-betray ng public trust ng mga tao at kinuha Read More …

WASHINGTON – US Secretary of State John Kerry expressed concern to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Saturday about “provocative” Russian troop movements along Ukraine’s border, a US official said. In a morning call with his counterpart, Kerry also urged full Russian support for efforts to free a mission from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe held hostage by pro-Moscow militants in the flashpoint city of Slavyansk. The top US diplomat “expressed continued concern that Russia’s provocative troop movements on Ukraine’s border, its support for separatists and its inflammatory rhetoric are undermining stability, security and unity in Ukraine,” the senior State Department official said. He also “urged Russian support without preconditions for the efforts of the OSCE and the Government of Ukraine to liberate the Vienna Document inspectors and their Ukrainian guides who are being held hostage by pro-Russian separatists in Slovyansk.” Kerry’s comments came as the Group of Seven top economies and the European Union signaled they would step up economic pressure on Moscow early next week amid fears Russia was preparing an invasion of eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk meanwhile claimed Russia violated his country’s airspace seven times overnight with an aim “to provoke” it into starting a war. But Moscow denied any transgression by its warplanes, with Lavrov calling for “urgent measures” to de-escalate the crisis that has plunged East-West relations to their lowest point since the Cold War. — Agence France-Presse

Juanito Itaas, the longest-held political prisoner in the Philippines, has written US President Barack Obama to ask for intervention in his case in time for the American president’s visit on Wednesday. Itaas was found guilty of the murder of US Army Col. James Rowe of the Joint US Military Assistance Group in 1989, exactly 25 years ago. He has been at the New Bilibid Prison since. Despite serving his sentence for more than two decades, some, including rights group Task Force Detainees of the Philippines, believe Itaas is being punished for a crime he did not commit. TFDP disseminated Itaas’letter to the media on Saturday. In the letter, Itaas appealed for Obama’s “urgent and personal intervention in the spirit of respect for the human dignity” in a petition that he has sent the government asking to be released. A Humanitarian Appeal to Obama by GMA News Online “As an advocate of peace and reconciliation among nations, Mr. President, I implore your Christian sense of mercy and compassion as you certainly believe in second chances. Your considerate action to my plea is a key factor for the realization of my renewed life as a law-abiding citizen and as a God-fearing person,” he said. — Kim Luces/JDS, GMA News

Residents of an Amish community in Ohio who traveled to the Philippines for a humanitarian mission have reportedly brought measles to the state. Knox County residents signed up for a two-week charity trip to the Philippines in March, community newspaper Mansfield Journal reported Friday. The aid mission by the Berlin, Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries (CAM) is suspected to have brought the four Knox County residents in contact with Filipinos infected with measles. According to news website The Global Dispatch, the trip was the first of a series of trips planned by CAM. The disease has since spread to 14 other persons in the community. According to Amish culture website Amish America, many vaccination rates among members of the sect, whose members base their morals and way of life on the Bible. The four residents who traveled to the Philippines had not been vaccinated against measles, Mansfield News Journal said. Because of the outbreak, members of community have brought their children to get vaccinated against the disease, NBC News reported. In January, the Department of Health declared measles outbreaks in five cities in Metro Manila. The DOH had recorded 744 confirmed cases of measles in Metro Manila between January 1 and December 14, 2013. A total of 1,724 measles cases, meanwhile, had been reported across the country, with 21 patients dying of the disease. Singapore also recently warned its citizens of the risk of catching measles in the Philippines after at least 23 who traveled to the country tested positive for Read More …

Hong Kong’s lowering of the security travel alert on the Philippines was not influenced by the recent visit there of a contingent led by Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada to express “regret” over the 2010 Manila hostage tragedy. The claim was made by Hong Kong Secretary for Security Lai Tung-kwok, Radio Television Hong Kong reported on Saturday. Lai was quoted in the report as saying the Hong Kong government’s decision to lower the alert level from black (severe threat) to amber (signs of threat) stemmed not from the Philippine officials’ expressions of regret and solidarity but from the monitoring of the situation in the Philippines. “Mr. Lai said the situation in the Philippines had been closely monitored since the incident, and the government had taken note of improvements in safety,” the RTHK report said. On the other hand, the RTHK report quoted Lai as saying the Outbound Travel Alert could still be completely removed, or even raised back to Black, “depending on the circumstances.” Earlier this week, the Philippine government expressed its “most sorrowful regret and profound sympathy” for the Aug. 23, 2010 hostage incident where eight Hong Kong tourists were killed. In the incident, a dismissed policeman took hostage a busload of tourists to demand his reinstatement. The policeman and the eight tourists were killed in a botched police operation. On Wednesday, the Hong Kong government said it was lowering the outbound travel alert to amber. Hong Kong also reinstated the visa-free privileges for Philippine government officials visiting Hong Kong. Read More …